Film Armada

Film Armada, an online theatron and film community, officially launched as the Streaming Partner of the 17th Annual Nantucket Film Festival on June 20, 2012. The site, founded by Christina Villa and Alla Bronskaya, provides a platform for independent film producers to distribute their work and for indie film connoisseurs to gather and discover new films. “We wanted to create an environment that serves the needs of both filmmakers and film fans, and we learned that visible and active curation is the key to both,” said Villa.

Film Armada co-founders Christina Villa and Alla Bronskaya at the 17th Annual Nantucket Film Festival

“There are so many elements of this site that were thoughtfully put together with one purpose in mind: to build a trusted film community, a platform that gives filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work on a global scale and earn a direct profit from their work,” added co-founder Bronskaya.

Villa and Bronskaya worked with Alek Marfisi and Bruce Jones at the Baruch Small Business Development Center to sort out the financial modeling and planning aspect of their start-up. “Working with Alek was instrumental in building our business,” Villa said. “When we approached the center our main gap was in financial modeling and company valuation, and Alek helped guide and build this for us. Having been in investment banking previously, my exposure involved more client and sales management, which did not require my having to do financial planning on such a micro level. Alek was very detailed oriented and help build out our model in a way that we could understand. Additionally Alek, as well as Bruce, took a healthy interest in the success of our platform and provided the strategic guidance needed when seeking investors.”

Filmmakers interested in Film Armada can submit their shorts, features, documentaries or web series online for free; selected works will be featured online and receive revenues via film credit sales and advertising, all while retaining full rights of their films. Film fans can watch films on Film Armada by purchasing film credits for $1 each. For more information, visit Film Armada here.